A major goal of the STD-CRC is to recruit promising new investigators into research careers on Sexually Transmitted Diseases. To this end, we have already established a highly successful Developmental Grant Program at the University of Washington, supported by our STD CRC grant. In these four years, we have supported ten two-year New Investigator Awards. This program has been highly successful, and four (67%) of the six young scientists who have completed their New Investigators Awards to date have submitted applications for independent finding based upon the studies conducted under this program. One has received finding for an independent project on our Molecular Immunology of STD Program Project, and the remaining three have NIH and NSF grants currently pending review. We propose to continue this highly successful program, and to award six New Investigator Awards over the five-year period of this renewal. Applications will be solicited in years 01, 03, and 05 using a variety of University-wide media at all three participating institutions (University of Washington, University of Manitoba, and University of Nairobi). Meritorious pre-proposals will be selected by the STD-CRC Executive Committee, and detailed-proposals will be invited. These formal proposals, in NIH R01 format, will each be evaluated by members of the STD-CRC Executive Committee and the STD-CRC External Advisory Committee. An NIH scoring system will be used to select those grants that will receive funding. This program, which has been critical to the professional development of many of our young STD faculty, should continue to facilitate the entry of talented young scientists into the various disciplines of STD research.